Control apparatus



Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

INVENTOR 0/4 A. fo/by WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORA A. COLBY, 0F LARIMER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSEELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

A Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Application filed September 25 3914, Serial No. 863,508. Renewed April12, 1919. Serial No. 289,744.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ORA A. COLBY, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of Larimer, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Control Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to control apparatus, and it has special referenceto liquid rheostats of the type commonly employed for governing theoperation of polyphase induction motors.

One of the objects of my invention is to improve and simplify the.construction and operation of devices of the character referred to andto. provide a rheostat which shall be particularly compact and durablein construction. and shall be capable. of

ready manipulation by reason of the peculiar relationship of parts.

Another object of my invention i to provide a liquid rheostat having aregulatable discharge valve and a plurality of sets of relativelyrotatable-electrodes through which a continuous flow of electrolyte isprefer ably maintained for the purpose of carrying way the heat. I

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view of a rheostatconstructed'in accordance with my invention, the cover and certainportions of the. operating mechanism being removed for the sake ofclearness; Fig. 2 is a view, partially in side elevation and partiallyin section, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the section being takenalong the plane of IIII of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic viewshowing the relationship of electrodes of a modified form ofrheostatwhich is comprehended in my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus shown comprises a tank 1 havinga centrally disposed bottom discharge opening 2, an inlet opening 3through which electrolyte is preferably continuously circulated, atubular member or discharge valve 4:- cooperating with the dischargeopening 2 and projecting upwardly intothe tank 1, a, supporting orbearing member 5 surrounding the lower end of the valve member 4: and

secured'to the bottom wall 6 of the tank, a

charge valve 4: in such manner as to be rotated with respect thereto, aa plurality of sets 8 of movable electrodes 9 that are secured to thesleeve 7, an operating mechanism .10 for actuating the discharge valve4: and the sets 8 of rotatable electrodesfa plurality of supportingframes 11 secured to and insulated from the tank 1, and a plurality ofsets 12 of electrodes 13 which are rigidly secured to the supportingframes 11.

The tank 1 is preferably of plate construction and is supported upon areceiving reservoir 15 into which the electrolyte is discharged. Thetank 1 is provided with a cover 17 through which the operating mechanism10 projects. The lower end of the tubular discharge valve 4 is providedwith a tapered plug portion 18 which is adapted to cooperate with, andtightly fit into, the discharge opening 2. The upper end of thedischarge valve a is provided with a multi-arm yoke 20 which is securedthereto and which has a rigid connectionto an operating rod 21, by meansof. which said valve 4 may be raised and lowered in,

position to effect the opening and the closing of the discharge port 2.

The supporting and bearing member 5 comprises an annular portion 23'ofL-shaped section to which a plurality of feet 24: are

connected, said feet resting upon the bottom wall 6 of the tank andbeing suitably fixed thereto. The sleeve 7 is seated within theL-shap'ed portion 23 of the bearing member 5and has bearing surfaces 26and 27 at its respective ends which slidably engage the outer surface ofthe valve member 4: and

permit rotative movement of said sleeve with respect to said valve, witha minimum 'fI'lClZlOllfll resistance.

with a central portion 31 that projects upwardly through the cover 17and is concentrlcally related. to the operating rod 21.

The upper end of the projecting portion 31 of the yoke 30 has associatedtherewith a gear wheel 32 which is adapted to engage a suitably drivenmember (not shown) for the purpose of effecting a rotative move ment ofthe sleeve 7 and its associated set 8 of electrodes 9.

The several sets 8 of electrodes 9 are radially disposed andsubstantially equally spaced, and the several electrodes 9 con stitutingsaid sets are each of sectorial form and are disposed one above another,in sideby-side horizontal relation, being suitably secured to the sleeve7.

The supporting frames 11 are located 111- termediate the sets 8 ofelectrodes, and each frame 11 is supported, at its lower end, upon aninsulating block 35, and its upper end is secured and electricallyconnected to a conducting rod 86 which projects through the cover 17 andis insulated therefrom by means of an insulator 37. The severalelectrodes 13 are also sectorial in form and are rigidly fastened to thesupporting frame 11, being also disposed horizontally one above another,although at heights intermediate those of the rotatable electrodes 9.Thus, when the sets 8 of rotatable electrodes 9 are rotated from thepositions shown in the drawing, the eletrodes 9 are interposed be tweenthe electrodes 13 of the stationary groups or sets 12, whereby theworking surfaces of the respective sets of electrodes are brought intoproximity, and, therefore, the resistance of the electrolyte betweenthem is reduced accordingly.

According to my invention, the continuously inflowing electrolytethrough the inlet port 8 rises between the cooperating sets ofelectrodes and finally overflows into the discharge valve 4: and isthence discharged into the receiving reservoir 15. Obviously, in orderto empty the tank 1 of electrolyte suddenly, it is necessary to causethe operating rod 21 to raise the discharge valve 4, thereby permittingelectrolyte to rapidly discharge through the opening 2.

In Fig. 3 I have shown diagrammatically a liquid rheostat 40 having amodified form of electrodes. In this apparatus, sets n of verticallydisposed grouped electrodes 42 are provided which are adapted tocooperate, in the usual way, with sets 43 of similarly disposed andgrouped electrodes slat, thelatter sets of electrodes at beingmechanically associated with the sleeve 7 and adapted for rotativemovement with respect to sets 4L1 of electrodes 4-2 through the agencyof suitable means such, for instance, as that already described.

The specific structural details and arrangement and location of parts ofthe apparatus set forth may be modified considerably within the scope ofmy invention, and I have intended to cover such modifications in theappended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a liquid rheostat, the combination with respectively stationaryand movable sets of electrodes normally disposed in sub stantiallyhorizontal edge-to-edge relation, of means for effecting relativerotative movement thereof, whereby the respective active surfaces ofsaid electrodes are brought into vertical proximity.

2. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank and a plurality of sets ofhorizontally disposed relatively rotatable sectorial electrodes.

3. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a plurality of spaced sets ofstationary electrodes, a plurality of sets of movable electrodesinterposed between said spaced sets of electrodes and means forrotatively moving the sets of movable electrodes interme diate theelectrodes of said adjacent station ary sets of electrodes.

1. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank and a plurality of relativelyrotatable horizontally disposed electrodes.

5. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a plurality of spaced stationarysets of horizontally disposed sectorial electrodes, a plurality ofhorizontally disposed sets of sectorial electrodes interposed betweensaid spaced stationary electrodes, and means for imparting rotativemovement to said stationary electrodes.

6. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a centrally disposed tubulardischarge valve associated therewith, and a plurality of relativelymovable sets of electrodes between said tubular valve and said tank.

7. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a tubular member projectingupwardly into said tank, a set of electrodes associated with saidmember, and a cooperating set of elec trodes associated with said tankand cooperating therewith.

8. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a tubular member projectingupwardly into said tank and adapted to be raised and lowered, and a setof radially disposed electrodes associated with said member.

9. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a tubular member projectingupwardly into said tank and adapted to be raised and lowered, a.plurality of horizontal and radially disposed electrodes between saidmember and said tank, and means for imparting rotative movement to saidelectrodes.

10. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank, a centrally disposed tubularmember adapt ed to be raised to permit the discharge of electrolyte, asleeve surrounding said memher, and a plurality of radially disposedelectrodes fixed to said sleeve.

11. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank having a central dischargeopening, a tubular valve member adapted to close said opening and to beraised to permit the discharge of electrolyte therethrough, and aplurality of rigidly associated electrodes disposed around said valvemember, and means for imparting rotative movement to said electrodes.

12. A liquid rheostat comprising a tank havinga central dischargeopening, a tubular valve member adapted to close said opening and to beraised to permit the discharge of electrolyte therethrough, a bearingand supporting member disposed around the lower end of said valvemember, a rotatable sleeve resting upon said bearing and supportingmember, and radially disposed electrodes fixed to said sleeve.

13. In a liquid rheostat, the combination with a tank, of a stationarystructure supported thereby and insulated therefrom, and horizontallydisposed inwardly projecting electrodes secured thereto.

14. In a liquid rheostat, the combination with a tank having a bottomdischarge opening, a tubular discharge valve cooperating with saidopening, and a plurality of elec-- ORA A. COLBY.

lVitnesses:

E. J. 00mm, B. B. HINES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

